Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2016 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 128 to our projected No. 1 team.

Look back: Purdue saw incremental improvement as a program in 2014, with the Boilermakers moving from one win in 2013 to three the next season. However, any euphoria felt was short-lived as the team took a step backward by winning just two games in 2015. The culprit was a defense that allowed way too many points (36) and too many yards on the ground (213).

Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2016 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 128 to our projected No. 1 team.

Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2016 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 128 to our projected No. 1 team.

Strengths: Purdue put together one of its better seasons in terms of passing offense since 2012, with the Boilermakers finishing ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 237 yards per game. Austin Appleby started the first three games of the season at quarterback, but he was benched after throwing six early interceptions. He was replaced by redshirt freshman David Blough, who would go on to start the remaining nine games of the season.

The offensive line was one of the most consistent units, with just six players seeing time in the starting lineup.

Weaknesses: It's been nearly a decade since Purdue last had a 1,000-yard rusher, with the Boilers finishing next to last in the Big Ten in rushing offense (131.3) in 2015, including a league-worst 3.7 yards per carry. D.J. Knox started six of the first seven games at running back before freshman Markel Jones took over the job for the remaining five games. Jones finished the season as the team's leading rusher with 875 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Knox finished second with 409 yards on the ground.

The defense took a big step backward in 2015, allowing more than 36 points and 458 yards per game. The unit returns nine starters but loses two of its more experienced players in cornerbacks Anthony Brown and Frankie Williams, who combined for 72 career starts.

Purdue appeared to be set at kicker after Paul Griggs completed 80 percent of his field goals the previous season. But the senior struggled in 2015, making just five of 11 field-goal attempts, with his longest being from 34 yards.

Outlook: Purdue continues to search for consistency on both sides of the football under Darrell Hazell. The Boilermakers have struggled on the road (1-13) and in the Big Ten (2-22) during the past three seasons, with the program appearing to be perpetually stuck in neutral.